1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, computer chassis, and segmented curtains for controlling airflow in a computer chassis.
2. Description of Related Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers are much more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware and software components, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses, memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer higher and higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
Computer components often exude a large amount of heat during operation of the computer system. Temperatures of components outside the typical operating temperatures specified for such components may result in unpredictable component behavior or component failure. In large computer systems including many components controlling the temperature of the components is critical. Fans are typically used to control temperatures in computer systems by exhausting hot air inside the computer system and drawing cooler air inside the computer system. Different components of the computer system however may require more or less airflow to effectively control their temperatures. It would therefore be useful to control the airflow in a computer system.